Brian Schottenheimer 'Flattered' by Head Coach Rumors, But Focused Solely on Seahawks

RENTON, WA - When it comes to career goals, Brian Schottenheimer hopes to someday follow his father Marty Schottenheimer's footsteps and become an NFL head coach.

But while that remains Schottenheimer's aspiration, when asked about reports linking him to the Texans coaching vacancy, it's the last thing on his mind at the moment. The veteran offensive coordinator understandably is investing all of his time and energy right now into helping the Seahawks improve to 10-4 this weekend.

"I'd love to be a head coach, those things are flattering," Schottenheimer said in his weekly press conference on Thursday. "But they don't help you beat a really good Washington Football Team. Honored to be in that consideration, but I'm really doing what I can to play really well against one of the best defenses we've played this year."

Now in his 12th season as a coordinator and 21st overall as an assistant coach, Schottenheimer isn't a stranger when it comes to being under consideration for a head coaching gig. During his time as a coordinator for the Jets from 2006 to 2011, he took part in five interviews for such openings, including once to potentially replace Eric Mangini in 2008.

Ultimately, Schottenheimer wasn't hired in any of those five instances and turned down the opportunity to interview with Buffalo in 2010. After being fired by the then-St. Louis Rams in 2014, the window for him to become a head coach in the league seemed to have slammed shut.

But since arriving in Seattle less than three years ago, Schottenheimer has coordinated three top-10 scoring offenses with Russell Wilson under center and the unit has progressively improved each year. This season, the Seahawks currently rank third in the NFL averaging 30.2 points per game and have scored at least 34 points in seven out of 13 games.

From Schottenheimer's perspective, the success of the Seahawks offense and the players executing his play calls is the real reason his name has cropped back up as a potential candidate.

"To be mentioned in that is great," Schottenheimer commented. "But really it's about how we're doing offensively. This is not about me. It's about the Seattle Seahawks, it's about Russell Wilson, Tyler Lockett. Let's talk about those guys, what a great job they are doing, Chris Carson being back, the offensive line. Again, I'm honored and flattered, but I'm just proud of this group and how well we've done."

While he mostly deflected attention away from himself on Thursday, Schottenheimer received strong recommendations as a head coaching candidate from both coach Pete Carroll and Wilson this week.

“I think he's an incredible candidate,” Carroll said on Wednesday. “I think he's exactly what owners are looking for. He's been around. He's been in charge. He commands the whole team with his leadership. He's got great background. I say that because he's been through our program for enough years that I know that he's got his philosophy in order, he's got his approach how he would do it because we've worked on that stuff, so he's ready to go."

As for Wilson, there's no question his development has been taken to the next level since Schottenheimer was hired prior to the 2018 season. In just 45 games working together, he has thrown 102 touchdowns, second behind only Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes, while posting a 108.6 passer rating, the third-best mark in the NFL.

Echoing the same sentiments as Carroll, Wilson believes Schottenheimer would be an outstanding option for any team needing a new coach in 2021 due to his football IQ and leadership skills.

“I think Schotty would be a tremendous head coach. I think he understands the game so well. He’s got that great pedigree, obviously with his dad. He’s been around the game for so long. He’s coached a lot of great quarterbacks along the way, starting with Drew Brees and Philip Rivers," Wilson said, adding. "He’s a great coach. He’s a great teacher of the game. He’s always motivated. He works hard. He’s a great family guy, too. I love him as a person."

Given his individual growth and the team's consistent standing as one of the NFL's most explosive offenses with Schottenheimer calling the shots over the past few years, Wilson knows how much it would hurt to lose him. But he also understands the NFL is a business and this can be one of the downsides to being successful over an extended period of time as Seattle has.

"That’s the problem with this game sometimes," Wilson smiled. "When your team is playing great and everybody is scoring touchdowns and making plays, you lose some people you love sometimes. If he does get a great opportunity, I know he’ll be great at it. You want to root for him for sure.”

Per Carroll, he hasn't spoken to Schottenheimer about a potential head coaching gig recently. But in the past, the two have discussed the possibility and will surely do so again as prospective employers start to seek out candidates for interviews in the near future.

If Schottenheimer were to be hired by the Texans or another team next year, he wouldn't be the first high profile assistant on Carroll's staff to earn the opportunity after a successful stint with the Seahawks. Previously, defensive coordinators Gus Bradley and Dan Quinn became head coaches for the Jaguars and Falcons respectively.

But for now, Schottenheimer has his mind in the right place solely focusing on preparation for one of the NFL's stingiest defenses. Washington hasn't given up more than 17 points in a game since a Week 10 loss to Detroit, including holding a then-undefeated Pittsburgh squad to 17 points in a Week 13 road victory.

If the Seahawks can find a way to put together an impressive performance on the road and put a bunch of points on the scoreboard, Schottenheimer's stock as a viable head coaching candidate will only continue to skyrocket.

Add us as a preferred source on Google